Unwanted Thoughts Syndrome

Almost an hour of hilarious stories told with characters in her inimitable, idiosyncratic style. Maria Bamford is well-known from her two Comedy Central Presents specials, two critically acclaimed and strong-selling albums, her role in The Comedians of Comedy, and in Fox's series Sit Down, Shut Up, from the talk-show circuit, and from extensive touring.

The Power of Forgetting: Six Essential Skills to Clear Out Brain Clutter and Become the Sharpest, Smartest You

Is it possible that the answer to becoming a more efficient and effective thinker is learning how to forget? Yes! Mike Byster will show you how mastering this extraordinary technique - forgetting unnecessary information, sifting through brain clutter, and focusing on only important nuggets of data - will change the quality of your work and life balance forever. Using the six tools in The Power of Forgetting, you’ll learn how to be a more agile thinker and productive individual.

Walking the dogs through the autumn leaves while listening to audiobooks is a great pleasure for me. "1, 47, 59, 09, 209...". Tuning in and out of numbers tests read in my ears is not a pleasure. I kept skipping forward hoping for something I could follow and learn from. But it's just not meant to be grasped in Audio-form. It's read very well, it's written well, but it was nearly useless to me as an audiobook.

Think BIG and Kick Ass in Business and Life

He's got the biggest personality in business. His trademark line "You're fired" from The Apprentice is one of America's most recognizable catchphrases. He's survived the biggest real-estate bankruptcy in history and climbed his way back to the top. He's Donald J. Trump, and he's going to tell listeners the secrets to succeeding like he has in Think BIG and Kick Ass in Business and Life. His co-author is Bill Zanker, CEO of the Learning Annex, which he started with $5,000 in Bar Mitzvah money.

Why can Alan Sklar make a distinction in his voice when he is reading at the end "thank you" letters, but never before?. Alan can comically make a Purwerrrlrtoreekan accent, but he cannot distinguish at all between the dialogues of and Bill Zanker's and Donald Trump. True. part of the problem is how it is written. In the first 5 chapters I never heard a signal that the story was now coming from Trump rather than Zanker. How annoying while following the "plot" and advice and then realizing..."oh wait...Learning Annex...This must be Zanker.....Wait, who is talking now"? Later on it is written "Trump's Take" or whatever. But a ridiculous idea to think that someone who is listening to the audio book would know without a verbal or audible signal who is speaking. I don't understand why it was written this way at all. But it doesn't work.

It's slightly fluffy, but entertaining. I like to hear what is going on in Trump's head. I could have easily done without Zanker's desperate adoration of The Donald - but oh well. Some valuable "we're going to pump YOU up" material.

Opie & Anthony

I really liked the comedian listed, so assumed that this would be somewhat of a variety show, but it was like entering a bar to sit with drunk people you didn't know ramble about crap that they didn't care about, and certainly you sober would not care about. Listened out of desperation for 8 minutes - until could take no more loss of brain cells.

One Summer: America, 1927

One of the most admired nonfiction writers of our time retells the story of one truly fabulous year in the life of his native country - a fascinating and gripping narrative featuring such outsized American heroes as Charles Lindbergh, Babe Ruth, and yes Herbert Hoover, and a gallery of criminals (Al Capone), eccentrics (Shipwreck Kelly), and close-mouthed politicians (Calvin Coolidge). It was the year Americans attempted and accomplished outsized things and came of age in a big, brawling manner. What a country. What a summer. And what a writer to bring it all so vividly alive.

After 40 minutes of listening to just the droning sound of aviation maps and details, people about aviation and weather conditions during first take-offs and on and on...I skipped to the 2nd chapter. I re-read several times the description of the book, thinking that I must have made a mistake, this is all about aviation. I scanned through chapter 2 hoping for some chance of anything interesting to come into my ears...and just as what I thought was a new topic came up on Lindenberg...it turned only back into the most mundane of details about the planes. Look before you think that I don't like aviation, I'll have you know that I just happened to complete all my flight simulator hours and air time before taking my pilots test and this was STILL terribly terribly boring. I wasted money and I'm only in the 2nd chapter. I head a quick reference to Al Capone, but then it naturally merged into the details of the Italian pilot he was sponsoring. I feel mislead by Bryson. I bought his other 3 books and this is a waste of time and money. Not happy.

Everything Is Perfect When You're a Liar

Kelly Oxford is a wunderkind producer of pirated stage productions for six-year-olds, not the queen of the world, an underage schnitzel-house dishwasher, the kid who stood up to a bully and almost passed out from the resulting adrenaline rush, a born salesman, capable of willing her eyesight to be 20/20, that girl who peed her pants in the gas station that one time, totally an expert on strep throat, incapable of making Leonardo DiCaprio her boyfriend, and a terrible liar.

Oh my. What a waste of money. There is no amount of boredom that would benefit from the silly crap stories from a teenager. ARgh. If you had to listen to the whole thing, it could kill you. What simplistic language full of obscenities trying to spice up or startle an audience that no doubt has stopped listening. I kept thinking about other reviews that said this was funny. "the funny stuff must be coming up soon," I consoled myself. But I can't wait anymore for it. Looking at a tiny piece of tree bark would be so much more exciting and rewarding. Angry I wasted money on this. But at least I didn't waste more time.

The Art of Intelligence: Lessons from a Life in the CIA's Clandestine Service

A legendary CIA spy and counterterrorism expert here tells the spellbinding story of his high-risk, action-packed career while illustrating the growing importance of America's intelligence officers and their secret missions. The Art of Intelligence draws from the full arc of Henry Crumpton's espionage and covert action exploits to explain what America's spies do and why their service is more valuable than ever.

Could only get 1/3 through this. Just nothing to keep my attention, and I really tried. No suspense. No enlightenment. Very slightly interesting in the beginning to hear about the history of the CIA. Nice to hear it from his voice.

How We Decide

Jonah Lehrer arms us with the tools we need to figure out how we decide, drawing on cutting-edge research by Daniel Kahneman, Colin Camerer, and others, as well as the real-world experiences of a wide range of "deciders" - from airplane pilots and hedge fund investors to serial killers and poker players. Lehrer shows how people are taking advantage of the new science to make better television shows, win more football games, and improve military intelligence.

Warning!

This is a complete, unexpurgated presentation recorded for XM Radio at the DC Improv. Possible side effects of listening to this recording may include but are not limited to: SEDITION, SEVERE BRAIN DAMAGE, PARALYSIS, PARTIAL AND TOTAL PARALYSIS, NEAR DEATH, DEATH, TAXES, ANTHRAX EXPOSURE.

The Tao of Pooh

Author Benjamin Hoff shows that the philosophy of Winnie-the-Pooh is amazingly consistent with the principles of Taoism and demonstrates how you can use these principles in your daily life. Is there such thing as a Western Taoist? Benjamin Hoff says there is, and this Taoist's favorite food is honey.

Had read this before at a Tai Chi retreat in UK, but had to listen again, and then I listened again then I let others listen, and then bought 3 of the Tao of Poohs paperpacks to send to friends. Life-changing in the best way.

Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens

The first new collection of essays by Christopher Hitchens since 2004, Arguably offers an indispensable key to understanding the passionate and skeptical spirit of one of our most dazzling writers, widely admired for the clarity of his style, a result of his disciplined and candid thinking. Topics range from ruminations on why Charles Dickens was among the best of writers and the worst of men to the enduring legacies of Thomas Jefferson and George Orwell.

Excellent writing. But you might want to listen more than once since processing such depth requires extreme concentration. Some stories make you wince in pain, but they are crudely real and sometimes necessary, though not always enjoyable. You walk away feeling better, more knowledgeable about things you've heard no where else.

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